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	Last updated 10/16/02

The NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence

2001 Finalist and Recipient of The Horace Mann–
NEA Foundation Award for Teaching Excellence

Janice Hayes
Tennessee Education Association

Janice "Jan" Hayes is a professor of educational leadership at Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) in Murfreesboro, Tennessee. She joined the MTSU faculty 28 years ago, after teaching sixth grade in Murfreesboro and fourth grade in Lake Forest, Illinois. She currently teaches courses in education methods, learning theory, and children's literature.

Dr. Hayes exemplifies lifelong learning, having achieved over the years a master's in guidance and counseling, a doctorate in physical education, psychology, and higher education, and licensure in library science, administration and supervision, and psychology. As important as her formal academic study, however, are the daily interactions with students, colleagues, and the community that help her improve her practice. "No teacher ever achieves excellence on his or her own," she remarks. "One must be continually reflective. 'What could I do better to reach that student?' or 'What does this colleague need from me?' are the kinds of questions that teachers must ask themselves in order to grow."

Dr. Hayes has been a leader in her teachers' association at both the local and state levels. She is a three-time president of the MTSU Education Association, past member of the Tennessee Education Association (TEA) board of directors, and has served as a delegate to the Representative Assemblies of TEA and the National Education Association. Her peers in TEA recently recognized her as the Distinguished Classroom Teacher of the Year for higher education. She has also served three terms as president of the Tennessee Department of Higher Education. She has lobbied in the state legislature for the Professional Negotiations bill and the Education Improvement Act. All of these activities, in her words, have helped to "speed [her] down the path of professionalism."

In addition to teaching in her own field, Dr. Hayes has helped to create a minor in women's studies, a curriculum that includes her own course on women's leadership and empowerment. She also helped build support for the creation of a Women's Center and a daycare center on campus. She has co-authored, and illustrated, three books on developing positive self-esteem that have been widely used by teachers, administrators, guidance counselors, and parents.

Velma Lois Jones, president of the Tennessee Education Association, praises Dr. Hayes' ability to reach out to others: "Jan's leadership seems to come naturally, as she is always willing to participate in or take responsibility for activities, committees, projects, programs, or presentations at all levels—with students, with parents, or with teachers." In concluding her letter of nomination for the Award for Teaching Excellence, Jones summarized the ultimate impact of such leadership. "Jan has said, 'The best way to teach is to model what you expect,' " Jones reports. "As [Dr. Hayes] prepares students to be teachers, she serves as an exemplary model."

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